Kumana National Park Safari

12:00 pm | Departure

The tour will begin at 12:00 p.m when your nature guide will pick you up from your hotel. You will take a comfortable safari truck from Arugam Bay to the village of Panama, a village near the edge of Kumana National Park.
The first stop will be at an organic farm in the village, where a local farmer will show you his plantation of organic products, spices, vegetables and fruits. He will share with you his knowledge and the techniques he uses to grow his crops. After visiting the farm, you will enjoy a delicious lunch prepared with the organic vegetables from the farm and a selection of different curries.

2:00-2:30 pm | Okanda Temple

After lunch we will continue on our way to Kumana National Park, stopping at a pond and small creek, which is famous locally for the number of crocodiles you can see in one place. Your guide will take you to spots where you can closely, but safely observe these prehistoric reptiles. You will also have the chance to encounter many of the regions birds, water buffaloes and monkeys that call the pond their home.

We will continue on our way to Kumana and stop, just on the edge of the park, at the Okanda Hindu Shrine. Okanda is one of the resting points for pilgrims on the route to the Hindu temple at Katargama that is within the park. Thousands of people cross the national park every year between July and August for the “Pada Yathra” – a spiritual journey to pay tribute to God Skandra. The temple has many colourful sculptures of Hindu Gods and visitors can learn about the stories behind these gods from a local priest.

3:00-3:30 pm |  Safari at Kumana National Park

The best wildlife viewing time is 3pm to sunset. As we enter the park at around 3-3:30, we will find ourselves in one of the most biodiverse park in Sri Lanka. The park has several lagoons that are surrounded by tropical thorn forest. We will be able to see monkeys, water buffaloes, elephant herds, jackals and if we are lucky, also leopards! The park also has 255 species of birds including many migrant species and is one of the best bird watching sites in the country.

6:00 pm | Return to Arugam Bay

Our tour will finish by watching the sunset as we make our way back to Arugam Bay.